Green fertilizersplay an important role in organic farming, and as an amateur we should use them mainly in the cultivation of vegetables on the plot. By sowing plants for green manure, we naturally improve the structure and fertility of the soil in the garden. Seewhen to sow green manure , what are the bestplants for green manureand when to cut them and dig them with soil.
Green fertilizers after rusting
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Green fertilizers - benefits
More and more often, owners of plots return to the use of slightly forgotten cultivation practices, which are designed toincrease the fertility of soilswhile maintaining a huge variety of microorganisms inhabiting them.One of the best ways to keep the cultivated soil in good structure issowing crops for green fertilization
Growing plants for green manureprovides the soil with a large portion of organic matter that is gradually transformed into humus. The remains of plants intended for green fertilizer decompose within two seasons, thanks to which the soil will be enriched with micro- and macronutrients necessary for the development of cultivated plants for up to two years.
Undeniable benefit of usingfertilizers greens in the gardenis a thorough covering of the soil surface with plant fields, which prevents its excessive drying out and large losses of moisture due to excessive evaporation. Living mulch also provides shelter for many beneficial organisms, thanks to which the balance between pests and their natural enemies is maintained.
Dense root systemplants grown for green manureloosen the soil, which becomes it is better ventilated and more permeable, while sandy soils are protected from blowing away during strong gusts of wind.
Green fertilizersplay a very important role in organic farming, and amateurs should be used primarily in the cultivation of vegetables on the plot.
Good to know!
If the soil in your garden is in good condition and you care for regular organic fertilization,plants for green manure should be sown once every 2-3 yearsIn other seasons, after harvesting the main crop, you can sow aftercrop vegetables with a short growing season, which can be harvested in the same year. You can find out more about this in the article: Aftercrop vegetables. What vegetables to sow and plant for catch crops?
What plants for green fertilizer
Plants for green manureshould be characterized by high resistance to attacks by pests and pathogenic organisms, a well-developed, deep root system, rapid growth and possibly late flowering.
Veryvaluable plants used to fertilize the soiland enrich it with humus are species from the legume family, which with the help of symbiotic nodule bacteria have the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen. It is stored in plant tissues, and after they die and decompose, it gets to the ground.This group of natural fertilizers includesfield peas, spring vetch and lupins one year old.
Mustard seed sown for green fertilizer
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Plants with a highly developed root system reaching far deep into the soil, such as rye, oats, vetch and white mustard, will help to extract the nutrients washed out into deeper and deeper layers of the substrate and transfer them closer to the soil surface. In this wayrecovered macro- and microelements can be reused by plants grown on the plot Another great advantage of a large mass of roots in the soil is the formation of natural channels after they die, through which the air will also penetrate into the deeper layers of the soil profile, thus improving the properties of heavy soils.
Ready mixture of plant seeds for green fertilizercan be ordered in the shop of our guide. It contains a carefully selected set of plants that will best fertilize the soil and improve its structure.
When to sow plants for green manure
Plants for green fertilizerare usually sown after harvesting the main crop, in such a time that they have managed to produce as many shoots and leaves as possible, as well as a well-developed root system before the fall of autumn cold. In practice, the seeds of plants ongreen fertilizers are sown in August or early Septemberso that in the last warm weeks, before the onset of cool autumn days, they can develop sufficiently.Sowing can be carried out among the remnants left in the field after harvesting the main crop or into a dug and loosened substrate. After germination, the plants require virtually no maintenance.When to dig green manure with soil
Once the plants for green fertilizerhave reached their maximum size, depending on the height, they can be dug shallowly with the soil so that most of the green parts are covered. They can also be mowed and mixed with the substrate after grinding. Spring species are usually dug up in autumn, before the onset of stronger frosts. On the other hand, winter crops can be left until the next spring and only thenapply them as green fertilizers
Digging soil with green manure
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For species with hard stems that take longer to decompose, remember that the haulm air pockets in the freshly dug bed significantly impede the growth and development of newly planted plants.Cruciferous vegetables in particular react poorly to excessive drying of the substrate, caused by the presence of undecomposed residues in it, acting as a drainage layer, quickly draining moisture out of the reach of the insufficiently developed root ball of cultivated plant seedlings.
